Review: It Happens all the Time by Amy Hatvany

It Happens All the Time by Amy Hatvany

Published: March 28, 2017

Publisher: Atria Books

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

I want to rewind the clock, take back the night when the world shattered. I want to erase everything that went wrong.

Amber Bryant and Tyler Hicks have been best friends since they were teenagers—trusting and depending on each other through some of the darkest periods of their young lives. And while Amber has always felt that their relationship is strictly platonic, Tyler has long harbored the secret desire that they might one day become more than friends.

Returning home for the summer after her college graduation, Amber begins spending more time with Tyler than she has in years. Despite the fact that Amber is engaged to her college sweetheart, a flirtation begins to grow between them. One night, fueled by alcohol and concerns about whether she’s getting married too young, Amber kisses Tyler.

What happens next will change them forever.

In alternating points of view, It Happens All the Time examines the complexity of sexual dynamics between men and women and offers an incisive exploration of gender roles, expectations, and the ever-timely issue of consent.

My Thoughts

Amy Hatvany books always give you feelings that linger long after the last page is turned, and in This Happens All the Time she does an even bigger job by bringing women's issues to the for front. Told in alternating views we see how Amber and Tyler childhood friends end up somewhere they never thought possible.

Tyler has always loved Amber but to her, he was always just a friend, until one night after drinking she kisses Tyler and that one action sets Tyler off to actions he can never take back. I loved how Hatvany uses the alternating chapters to show us how each of the characters sees their actions. Like the saying goes there are 3 sides to the story yours, theirs and the truth. We see how they both viewed things in completely different lights.

When one hears “rape” we usually think of it as done by the hands of a stranger but most of the time it is done by someone we know, so when it came to this storyline we see Amber dealing with the fact that it was someone she grew up with leaving her with questions why? Amber’s pain will rock you to your core leaving you wanting justice. I won't make a case for Tyler what he did was beyond words but seeing his side lets you into his mind and how he saw things.

This is a book that demands to be read. It’s a hard topic to read but for that reason it must be read. We tend not to talk about issues that we aren’t comfortable with but we have to get over it in order to learn. While this isn’t a light read by any means it is one that you will learn from and sometimes those are the greatest ones we will remember.